Sharing UK Early Education Web Resources

       The website of British Association for Early Childhood Education (http://www.early-education.org.uk) is very resourceful and enlightening.  I enjoy surfing the website as it has a wealth of information about early education. 

       One of the sections of this website captured my attention that relevant to my professional development is the issue of Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), non-statutory guidance that supports all those working in early childhood education settings in UK to implement the statutory requirements of the EYFS Framework.  This comprehensive framework sets the standards for learning, development and care of children from birth to 5.  What interesting to me is a recent independent review done to EYFS framework elicited responds from the government to reform early learning in UK.  Through the review, it is found that the current education is overly bureaucratic and repetitive.  Here, I listed some of the reformations made that resonate me:

       ·      A new focus on three prime areas of learning in the EYFS, so children are ready and be able to learn at school.  These areas are:  personal, social and emotional development, physical development and communication and language

       ·      A slimmed down EYFS, cutting the number of learning goals from 69 to 17. 

       ·      Assessment at age five will remain but instead of the current complicated scale point assessment children will be judged against 17 learning goals.

       ·      A new check for every two-year-old in pre-school settings to pick up early any problems in a child’s development or special educational needs.

       In response to the changes made, UK Children Minister Sarah Teather remarked:

       “We know experiences in these first years have the biggest impact on how a child’s brain develops. It’s when children grasp the fundamental skills needed to do well at school and develop as happy, confident individuals. That’s why today I am setting out a much slimmer, easier to understand early years curriculum”.

       Hence, change is necessary as professionals reflect and review the current programs and practices for early childhood in order to help children reach their full potential.  So, the field of early childhood has been and continues to be characterized, transformed and renewed through change.  This is the insight I gained from exploring the website, aligns with what I have learned in the course study.